17th New York State Legislature
# 17th New York State Legislature

The 17th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 7 to March 27, 1794, during the seventeenth year of George Clinton's governorship, in Albany.

## Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1777, the State Senators were elected on general tickets in the senatorial districts, and were then divided into four classes. Six senators each drew lots for a term of 1, 2, 3 or 4 years and, beginning at the election in April 1778, every year six Senate seats came up for election to a four-year term. Assemblymen were elected countywide on general tickets to a one-year term, the whole assembly being renewed annually.

In March 1786, the Legislature enacted that future Legislatures meet on the first Tuesday of January of each year unless called earlier by the governor. No general meeting place was determined, leaving it to each Legislature to name the place where to reconvene, and if no place could be agreed upon, the Legislature should meet again where it adjourned.

On February 7, 1791, the Legislature re-apportioned the Senate and Assembly districts, according to the figures of the 1790 United States Census.

State Senator Philip Van Cortlandt was elected in January 1793 to the 3rd United States Congress, leaving a vacancy in the Southern District.

At this time the politicians were divided into two opposing political parties: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.

## Elections

The State election was held from April 30 to May 2, 1793. Senator John Cantine (Middle D.) was re-elected. Ezra L'Hommedieu (Southern D.), Jacobus Van Schoonhoven (Western D.), and Assemblymen Reuben Hopkins (Middle D.), Zina Hitchcock (Eastern D.) and Michael Myers (Western D.) were elected to full terms in the Senate. Matthew Clarkson was elected to fill the vacancy in the Southern District.

## Sessions

The Legislature met at the Old City Hall in Albany on January 7; and adjourned on March 27, 1794.

On January 7, 1794, John McKesson, Clerk of the Assembly since 1777, was voted out of office. Oliver L. Ker, of New York City, was elected with 37 votes against 21 for McKesson.

## State Senate

### Districts

* The Southern District (8 seats) consisted of Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk and Westchester counties.
* The Middle District (6 seats) consisted of Dutchess, Orange and Ulster counties.
* The Eastern District (5 seats) consisted of Washington, Clinton, Columbia and Rensselaer counties.
* The Western District (5 seats) consisted of Albany, Montgomery, Herkimer, Ontario, Otsego, Saratoga and Tioga counties.

Note: There are now 62 counties in the State of New York. The counties which are not mentioned in this list had not yet been established, or sufficiently organized, the area being included in one or more of the abovementioned counties.

### Members

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Reuben Hopkins, Zina Hitchcock, Michael Myers changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

| District | Senators | Term left | Party | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Southern | David Gelston* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | also Surrogate of New York County |
| Southern | Matthew Clarkson | 1 year | Federalist | elected to fill vacancy, in place of Philip Van Cortlandt |
| Southern | Samuel Jones* | 2 years | Federalist | also Recorder of New York City |
| Southern | Joshua Sands* | 2 years | Federalist | |
| Southern | Henry Cruger* | 3 years | Federalist | |
| Southern | John Schenck* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Southern | Selah Strong* | 3 years | Federalist | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Southern | Ezra L'Hommedieu | 4 years | Federalist | |
| Middle | David Pye* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | Thomas Tillotson* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | Jacobus Swartwout* | 2 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | Joseph Hasbrouck* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | John Cantine* | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Middle | Reuben Hopkins* | 4 years | Dem.-Rep. | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Eastern | John Williams* | 1 year | Dem.-Rep. | elected in April 1794 to the 4th United States Congress |
| Eastern | William Powers* | 2 years | Federalist | |
| Eastern | John Livingston* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Eastern | Robert Woodworth* | 3 years | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Eastern | Zina Hitchcock* | 4 years | Federalist | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Western | John Frey* | 1 year | Federalist | |
| Western | Stephen Van Rensselaer* | 1 year | Federalist | |
| Western | Philip Schuyler* | 2 years | Federalist | elected to the Council of Appointment |
| Western | Michael Myers* | 4 years | Federalist | |
| Western | Jacobus Van Schoonhoven | 4 years | Federalist | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Abraham B. Bancker

## State Assembly

### Districts

* The City and County of Albany (7 seats)
* Columbia County (6 seats)
* Dutchess County (7 seats)
* Herkimer County (1 seat)
* Kings County (1 seat)
* Montgomery County) (4 seats)
* The City and County of New York (7 seats)
* Ontario County (1 seat)
* Orange County (3 seats)
* Otsego County (1 seat)
* Queens County (3 seats)
* Rensselaer County (5 seats)
* Richmond County (1 seat)
* Saratoga County (4 seats)
* Suffolk County (4 seats)
* Tioga County (1 seat)
* Ulster County (5 seats)
* Washington and Clinton counties (4 seats)
* Westchester County (5 seats)

Note: There are now 62 counties in the State of New York. The counties which are not mentioned in this list had not yet been established, or sufficiently organized, the area being included in one or more of the abovementioned counties.

### Assemblymen

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.

| County | Assemblymen | Party | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| Albany | Johannes Dietz* | Federalist | |
| Albany | Jellis A. Fonda* | Federalist | |
| Albany | Theodorus V. W. Graham | | |
| Albany | Jacob Hochstrasser | | |
| Albany | Thomas Hun | | |
| Albany | William North | Federalist | |
| Albany | Stephen Platt | | |
| Columbia | Matthew Adgate* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Columbia | John Bay | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Columbia | James Brebner | | |
| Columbia | Dirck Gardiner | | |
| Columbia | Matthew Scott | | |
| Columbia | Ambrose Spencer | Federalist | |
| Dutchess | Samuel A. Barker | Federalist | |
| Dutchess | James Bockée | | or Jacob Bockée |
| Dutchess | David Brooks | Federalist | |
| Dutchess | John DeWitt | | |
| Dutchess | Jesse Oakley | | |
| Dutchess | Jacob Radclift | | |
| Dutchess | Isaac Van Wyck | | |
| Herkimer | Jedediah Sanger | Federalist | |
| Kings | Peter Vandervoort | Federalist | |
| Montgomery | Jacob Eaker* | | |
| Montgomery | Frederick Gettman | | |
| Montgomery | John McArthur | | |
| Montgomery | Simon Veeder* | | |
| New York | Robert Boyd | | |
| New York | John DeLancey* | | |
| New York | Richard Furman | Federalist | |
| New York | Josiah Ogden Hoffman* | Federalist | |
| New York | Jotham Post Jr. | Federalist | |
| New York | James Watson | Federalist | elected Speaker |
| New York | William Willcocks | | |
| Ontario | Thomas Morris | Federalist | |
| Orange | John D. Coe | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Orange | Seth Marvin | | |
| Orange | John Wheeler | | |
| Otsego | Benjamin Gilbert | Federalist | |
| Queens | Samuel Clowes* | | |
| Queens | Harry Peters | Federalist | |
| Queens | Samuel Youngs | | |
| Rensselaer | Jonathan Brown | | |
| Rensselaer | Benjamin Hicks* | Federalist | |
| Rensselaer | Hosea Moffitt | Federalist | |
| Rensselaer | Jonas Odel | | |
| Rensselaer | Thomas Sickles | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Richmond | Gozen Ryerss* | Federalist | |
| Saratoga | John Ball | | |
| Saratoga | Adam Comstock* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Saratoga | John McClelland | | |
| Saratoga | Beriah Palmer* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Suffolk | John Gelston* | | |
| Suffolk | Jonathan N. Havens* | Dem.-Rep. | elected in April 1794 to the 4th United States Congress |
| Suffolk | John Smith* | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Suffolk | Joshua Smith Jr. | | |
| Tioga | Vincent Mathews | Federalist | |
| Ulster | Cornelius Bruyn | Federalist | |
| Ulster | Conrad E. Elmendorf | Federalist | |
| Ulster | Ebenezer Foote | Federalist | |
| Ulster | Johannes Miller | Federalist | |
| Ulster | James Oliver | Federalist | |
| Washington and Clinton | Benjamin Colvin | | |
| Washington and Clinton | Philip Smith | | |
| Washington and Clinton | David Thomas | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Washington and Clinton | William Whiteside | | |
| Westchester | Richard Hatfield* | Federalist | |
| Westchester | Elias Newman* | | |
| Westchester | Abel Smith | | |
| Westchester | Pierre Van Cortlandt Jr. | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Westchester | Ebenezer White | | |

### Employees

* Clerk: Oliver L. Ker
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Robert Hunter
* Doorkeeper: Jacob Kidney
